Case Histories
British Ilchester Cheese Achieves Unique Differentiation with Cryovac Darfresh®
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The Ilchester Cheese Company is Britain's leading producer and exporter of fine quality cheeses. When formed in the 1960's, it was the first British cheese company to blend cheeses with other ingredients. Located in Somerset in southern England, the company is No. 1 in the speciality cheese market. It offers approximately 20 different varieties of cheeses and 200 different products in various sizes, including small portions for the foodservice market (for example airline companies). Its 120 tonnes of weekly cheese production is achieved across 13 production lines.
Ilchester is well known for its wide variety of original speciality cheeses such as Mexicana (mature cheddar mixed with japaleno and chilli peppers), white Stilton with apricots, Abbeydale (Gloucester enriched with onions and chives), Applewood (hand-rolled in paprika and featuring a unique smoky flavour), Crandale (cheese with cranberries), Cantabella (cheddar cheese with basil, olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes) or Coburn (mature cheddar richly marbled with ruby port wine), to name a few.
The company has mainly focused on the retail and export markets to date, and is now also developing the foodservice sector. The company sells to leading wholesalers, caterers and retailers in the U.K, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Safeway and ASDA. Its growing export business to Europe, South Africa, the USA and Australia represents around 35% of its business. In addition, Ilchester doubles its production capacity during the festive season to produce an extremely successful line of Christmas gifts.
The Solution
 Ilchester required innovative and eye-catching packaging to differentiate its unique specialities so it approached its long-time partner Sealed Air Cryovac food packaging.
Cryovac® Darfresh® Vacuum Skin Packaging was chosen for its striking "second skin" effect, allowing the packaging of round-shaped cheeses. The controlled drape of the top web in the Darfresh system prevents the deformation of the product's natural shape, thus lending itself for use in a circular pack. This provides Ilchester cheese products with a uniqueness on display shelves, as most British cheeses tend to be sold in squares or rectangles. "This has clearly given us a unique point of difference on the market", explained Gary Childs, Ilchester Operations Director.
 The well proven Darfresh VSP system guarantees superior security and seal integrity. Based on semi-rigid bottom webs and vacuum lidding top webs, this technology produces consumer packs of outstanding presentation, brand identification and consumer appeal because it truly respects the product's contour. It is ideal for differentiating premium cheese products because of its strong eye-catching appeal and optimal preservation.
The Results
Darfresh top and bottom webs were adopted to pack all varieties of Ilchester cheeses in pack sizes from 20g to 150g and 200g. The packaging ensures superior security and seal integrity, while providing a consumer pack of prolonged shelf life. Last but not least, the added benefit of easy opening makes it particularly convenient for modern consumers. In addition to achieving attractive differentiation on highly competitive cheese shelves, the concept also allowed production efficiency improvements and competitive pricing.
Speciality cheeses are proving an increasingly successful consumer item, both in the UK and internationally. The potential for sales growth in large retail is high, especially given the attractive and unique packaging. "The Cryovac packaging has given us a high integrity pack and enabled us to create a unique pack format", said Gary Childs.
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